Almost 77 per cent of students met the "acceptable" standard when looking at both the calculator and non-calculator portions of the provincial exam.

That number is at a five-year low; in the 2012-2013 school year, almost 80 per cent of students met that standard.

Nearly 45,000 students wrote the exam during the last school year.

Last year, Eggen modified the elementary math curriculum to require students to learn multiplication tables and step-by-step methods for addition and subtraction.

'Confuses the whole issue'

Alberta's "discovery-based" math curriculum has been facing criticism for years.

Critical parents and educators say the current system — which provides several problem solving methods for simple arithmetic questions and puts less emphasis on rote memorization — leaves students unprepared.

Eggen said the latest results will help the province shape the new curriculum to ensure students are learning math fundamentals.

The new testing is part of a broader plan to get back to the basics when it comes to math, Eggen said. He said he hopes ongoing efforts to improve lesson plans will lead to better results in the future.

"I advocate for using the very best tools for students to learn mathematics, and so this idea of rote memorization or just discovery math, I think it just confuses the whole issue.